Stone Hopping
by TemperanceTales
Summary: Alice didn't know why she started this. They had been perfect...just spaces out enough to arouse her curiosity.


_TemperanceTales: So this is a little spin off one shot from my story ALISON. Needless to say if you haven't read my other story this one won't make sense. I have many little scenes that I would like to put out there but don't want to slow my other story down. Needless to say, this takes place prior to ALISON. __**I do not own once upon a time and I give full credit to the creators**__. Enjoy._

**Stone Hopping.**

Alice didn't know why she started this.

The Ballroom was empty, the sunlight shining through. The stones that made up the floor of the ballroom sparkled almost in the light. They had been perfect, just the size of her foot. The hearts seemed to be spaced out just enough to arouse her curiosity.

Humming, Alice began hopping from stone to stone and from foot to foot.

Alice hadn't been at the ball last night; The Queen had insisted that she was still much too young. However, she could hear the music through her open window and it had lulled her into a sleep where a man swung her around in a playful manner. It had been nothing more than a dream, a wonderful dream. Part of her yearned for the dream to be real while the other told her that dreams were just dreams. So Alice spun around the room as she hopped from heart to heart, pretending to dance.

The hearts conveniently went from the walls to the center of the room. Alice soon found herself near the final heart when she heard the voice.

"Alice, what are you doing?"

Alice spun around, both feet planted firmly on the heart. There stood the Queen of Hearts with the Knave and her two Tweedles. Alice curtsied deeply, spreading the fluffy skirts gracefully. The Head Knave's harsh voice hit her ears, making her wish to twitch in annoyance.

"The Queen asked you a question, _Pet_!"

The Queen waved at him impatiently, sending him a sharp look. The Knave fell silent as the Queen walked forward and ever so gently lifted her chin. Alice stood up straight, staring up innocently at the Queen of Hearts. She smiled and asked softly, "Thank you for your respect. What exactly were you doing Alice?"

"I was hopping on the stones," Alice said honestly, "I wanted to see if I could step on just the heart ones."

"Why?" The Queen asked softly. The Knave looked pleased, as if he was expecting to get into trouble. The Tweedle Females exchanged nervous looks as Alice shifted slightly. Alice looked back up at the Queen and said, "I did it because I wanted to, Your Majesty. I wanted to know if I could jump from each heart."

The Knave let out a soft snort and the Queen snapped her hand upwards as she snapped, "Leave us!"

The Knave and Tweedles were forced back and the door shut tight. The Queen gently folded her hands against her skirts like nothing had happened. Alice swallowed as the Queen asked casually, "I hate those that interrupt. But good help is so hard to find these days… Could you?"

"Could I what?" Alice asked baffled and The Queen let out a light laugh.

"You simple child, the stones. Could you jump from each one?"

"Well, most of them," Alice stammered slightly, "I hadn't finished."

The Queen smiled coyly as she walked around Alice and said, "Well, my dear, go on and finish."

The Queen walked over to her throne as Alice paused, watching her. Alice then lift one foot and hopped from the heart to heart. Humming once more, Alice spun from stone to stone until she hit the last one in the middle.

As she landed, the stone sunk in.

Alice let out a small squeak, earning a small chuckle from the Queen. Alice heard clicking as behind her, a small heart shaped pillar arose from the floor. There was a glow from a door on the pillar. Alice looked back at the Queen for permission and the Queen nodded. Alice allowed herself to open the door to have bursts of sparks fly out. Fiery creatures flew up into the air as Alice watched them circle around her head.

"FireFlies," Alice said with a smile. The Queen laughed softly and she asked, "I suppose you've never seen them before?"

"No," Alice said, looked as the Queen watched her from her throne, "But why keep them in such a secret place?"

"To keep the secrets that need to be kept secret a secret," the Queen said coyly. Alice's smile flickered but returned fully when the Queen patted her skirts gently and said, "Come here, my little Alice."

Alice walked over and sat down at her feet. The FireFlies in the air flew away out the window, leaving them alone. The Queen took her hands and said, firmly, "It would do well the other's to see your obedience WITH honesty."

The Queen kissed the child's hands and said softly, "You were humming the song from the ball last night."

Alice blushed, her eyes going downwards. It didn't stop her from answering, "I could hear it through my window… It was soothing."

"I see," The Queen said softly, "Your still much too young for them…however, learning to dance would be very much in the future."

Alice's eyes lit up and the Queen laughed. She pulled Alice to her feet and kissed her cheek whispering, "Go, our meal should be ready for us."

Alice nodded and stood up. She curtsied and left the ball room. The Queen's smile turned to a weak smirk, waving her hand. The pillar sunk back into the ground and the Queen looked back. She then watched her hand as she said to herself, "She's perfect… She's just like you, my love."


End file.
